'HOME FAVOURITES' O'NEILL & KANE GOING FOR BTCC GLORY IN FRONT OF ROCKINGHAM CROWDS
Paul O'Neill and Steven Kane say they are both looking for more
podium glory in this coming Sunday's (25 April) three Dunlop MSA
British Touring Car Championship...

Paul O'Neill and Steven Kane say they are both looking for more
podium glory in this coming Sunday's (25 April) three Dunlop MSA
British Touring Car Championship races at their home circuit of
Rockingham, Northamptonshire.

O'Neill will go into race day lying fourth in the Drivers'
standings with Kane right behind in fifth after achieving his first race
win in the BTCC in the season's opening round at Thruxton,
Hampshire two weeks ago.

But neither is expecting an easy time of it - with live TV coverage on
the ITV4 channel and in front of trackside crowds of 30,000-plus, the
BTCC is the UK's premier motor racing series and both O'Neill
and Kane will be up against some truly big names in former champions
Jason Plato and Matt Neal. In addition, there are a further five proven
winners among the 23-strong entry including Kane's team-mate Mat
Jackson, plus Gordon Shedden, Robert Collard, Tom Onslow-Cole and Tom
Chilton.

What they're saying...

O'Neill is tipping Oxford-based Plato, who
races for the Wellingborough-based Silverline Chevrolet team, to be the
man to beat in his Chevrolet Cruze.

The 30-year-old from Kettering, who races a Honda Integra for the
Sunshine.co.uk/Tech-Speed team said: "That Chevrolet should really
suit the lay-out of the Rockingham circuit. I made Jason squirm a bit at
Thruxton and that felt good, but I don't think I'll be able
to get quite so close this time. On saying that, I'm not going to
be 'namby-pambying' about. I had three top sixes myself at
Thruxton including a third and I want more podium finishes this
weekend."

Kane, aged 29 from Brixworth, believes he can add to his Thruxton win as
his Airwaves BMW should be better suited to the Rockingham circuit. He
added: "I'm not getting carried away because I know how
quickly fortunes can turn in the BTCC, but on paper Thruxton is the worst
track for the BMW so to win there and so early in the season was above
expectations. The lay-out of the Rockingham circuit will mean that
different types of cars - BMW, Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, SEAT, Vauxhall and
VW - come into their own on different sections so it could get very
interesting. If you're in the grandstands at Rockingham this Sunday
you're going to get more than your money's worth."

FREE admission for kids

Rockingham's three BTCC showdowns on Sunday are scheduled to start
at 11.20am, 2.05pm and 4.45pm. A further seven races from the supporting
Ginetta G50, Ginetta Junior, Porsche Carrera, Renault Clio and Formula
Renault categories that provide the very best in one-make sportscar,
saloon and single-seater racing in the UK add to the non-stop action.

Adult tickets costing as little as £23.00 and including grandstand
seating and access to the BTCC paddock and specially-organised Pit Lane
autograph session can still be booked from the www.rockingham.co.uk
website or by calling 01536 500500. Admission for children is FREE with
Rockingham having already confirmed plenty of additional off-track family
entertainment.

ITV4's live coverage of the event is from 11.30am-3.15pm followed
by an early evening highlights show from 8.30pm-10.00pm.